This invention relates generally to lighting systems and, more specifically, to industrial lighting and high end commercial lighting control systems and a method therefor.
Industrial lighting and high end commercial lighting will be commonly referred to herein as xe2x80x9cindustrial lighting.xe2x80x9d The traditional approach for providing industrial lighting to large areas, such as arenas, parking lots, and conference rooms, is shown schematically in FIG. 1. Lighting system 10 includes a switch 12, which may be a wall switch as shown or an activation switch. Switch 12 provides a control current to one or more lighting panels 14. Only one lighting panel 14 is shown for purposes of illustration, though there may be any number of panel boards. Main power line 18 feeds power to a main contactor 11, which may be a main circuit breaker. Main contactor 11 feeds power to a number of branch contactors 15 located within lighting panel 14. Contactors 15 may include simple relays, dimmers, and/or remote-controlled circuit breakers. Each contactor 15 controls current to a branch circuit 22, which provides power to a plurality of light fixtures 20.
The lighting contactor system is activated when switch 12 is turned on sending a control current to contactors 15 via wiring 16. Contactors 15 close the power circuit in response to receiving the control current from switch 12, allowing electrical power to flow to fixtures 20 via branch circuits 22. If a dimmer is incorporated into contactors 15, then the power may be regulated by it.
Current industrial lighting contactor systems as described above possess several electro-mechanical problems. Because most light fixtures draw an increased amount of current while warming up, the main contactor experiences large current surges at the instant of closure. Moreover, high in-rush currents, high induced EMF""s, and the like can reduce their expected service life by eroding the contact surfaces.
Additional problems stem from the centralized wiring systems currently employed. To provide the necessary current to operate heavy industrial loads such as in lighting auditoriums, stadiums, factories, etc. heavy wiring must be routed through a central location where the lighting contactors are installed. In such situations, lighting contactors are prone to produce an unpleasant and disruptive electrical hum and/or vibration caused by the high concentration of current. Furthermore, in these highly centralized systems, if a contactor fails, all of the lights that it controls will be rendered inoperative.
Conventional industrial lighting systems have furthermore not adequately met the needs of their users. For instance, conventional industrial lighting systems have no means of collecting and displaying wear data on the system, so that maintenance personnel can anticipate problems, such as a contactor failure or wearout, lamp failure or wearout, or other problem before it occurs. Furthermore, there is no system in place to remotely detect lamp failures.
For the past decade a number of companies have marketed residential lighting control systems comprised of wall switches, wall outlets, and various other devices equipped with electronics. These products have enabled a residential or low-end commercial user to remotely switch multiple lamps and other loads via a control panel. Traditionally, the communication technology for this type of application has been through hard-wired networks, RF communications and power line based communications.
However, conventional residential lighting systems have not addressed the issues discussed above with respect to industrial lighting. In particular, conventional residential lighting systems do not provide a means to monitor the usage for lamps and other loads. Furthermore, conventional residential lighting systems are not designed to alert the user of lamp failures, nor do they address the problems of rapid surges and sudden voltage drops that can occur when a large lighting system is energized.
What is needed is a functional replacement and enhancement to conventional technology that reduces power surge problems, provides sensing capability for determining defective lamps, decentralizes lighting contactors, and operates despite single point failures.
The above discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies are overcome and alleviated by a lighting system that includes a plurality of lighting control modules for controlling power to a respective lamp. Each module comprises a signal receiving means for receiving electronic communications from a controller, a current sensor, a current controller for controlling current in a power circuit passing through said module, said current controller operating to open and close said power circuit, a control unit connected to said current controller and said signal receiving means, said electronics operating to cause said current controller to open and close said power circuit in response to said communications from said signal receiving means, and an indicator connected to said electronics, said electronics causing said indicator to illuminate when said current sensor indicates that current fails to flow in said power circuit when said current controller is operated to close said lower circuit.
The above discussed and other features and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings.